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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29448819">She might be hyperventilating</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Codango/pseuds/Codango'>Codango</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Run On (TV), 런 온 | Run On (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awkward Romance, Best Friends, Drunk Texting, F/M, Female Friendship, Post-Break Up, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, wingman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:33:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,474</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29448819</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Codango/pseuds/Codango</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan Ah bites her lip, takes a swig of (cheap but strangely satisfying) beer for courage, and blurts, “I saw him today.”</p><p>Mi Joo pauses mid-crunch. As she should, it’s a big deal, Dan Ah told her it was important.</p><p>"I went to our gallery this morning. There’s an exhibit of new local talent, and you know Tae Woong doesn’t actually pay attention to whether any of them are worth anything.” She shot Mi Joo a look. “I was there for professional reasons.”</p><p>Mi Joo responds by crunching loudly into her chicken.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Yeong Hwa/Seo Dan Ah, Oh Mi Joo | Seo Dan Ah</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>She might be hyperventilating</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Sooo…there don't appear to be established tags for this fandom that I could find. I'll happily retag if that ever happens!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Dan Ah follows Mi Joo to the door every time the takeout delivery arrives. Mi Joo has stopped asking if Dan Ah wants to answer the door herself, for which Dan Ah is—quietly, secretly—grateful. She’s not sure she can do the little interactions right yet. <em>Thank you, oh I love your shoes</em> Mi Joo said the first time. The second time it was <em>Thank you, stay dry! </em>when it was raining. It was always <em>thank you and</em>. Sometimes Dan Ah would try to guess what the <em>and </em>would be. One time, she guessed right (<em>Thank you, oh my god your ring is beautiful!</em>) and was, she can admit, a bit insufferable the rest of the night. Mi Joo made her sleep on the couch, when Dan Ah had graduated to spooning with her in Mi Joo’s tiny twin bed months ago.</p><p class="p1">Tonight, their chicken deliveryperson gets an admonishment to stay warm (<em>you have handwarmers in your gloves, right?</em>), and finally Dan Ah can get to the point of why she came over tonight.</p><p class="p1">“I don’t know why you pretend to have a reason anymore,” Mi Joo says, blunt as ever as she lays out dinner on the coffee table. “You can come over just because you’re bored or you want to drink.”</p><p class="p1">“Who’s bored? I’m never bored.” The reaction is instinctive. “I have something important to think through, and my bartender has the night off.” He’s not her bartender, exactly, but he’s the only one at her favorite bar who understands just how often to interact with her. It’s a tricky equation.</p><p class="p1">“Ah.” Mi Joo nods gravely as she plucks a chicken wing out of the box. She doesn’t ask any follow-up questions.</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah bites her lip, takes a swig of (cheap but strangely satisfying) beer for courage, and blurts, “I saw him today.”</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo pauses mid-crunch. As she should, it’s a big deal, Dan Ah <em>told </em>her it was important.</p><p class="p1">“Where’s Seon Gyeom,” Dan Ah asks suddenly. Not here obviously, but she needs to be ready if he’s coming over soon. He has good advice, too, but he’ll treat it all very seriously, and Dan Ah needs someone to tell her she’s overthinking things. Seon Gyeom is the king of overthinking and then acting on it, and Dan Ah has a feeling that could be disastrous.</p><p class="p1">“He’s taking an athlete to wine and dine a potential head coach.”</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah relaxes. He usually goes to his own apartment after late nights like that. She can afford to fall apart a little. “I went to our gallery this morning. There’s an exhibit of new local talent, and you know Tae Woong doesn’t actually pay attention to whether any of them are worth anything.” She shot Mi Joo a look. “I was there for professional reasons.”</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo responds by crunching loudly into her chicken. A hint Dan Ah is taking too long.</p><p class="p1">“Fine, I knew some of Yeong Hwa’s work would be there. I mean, I was not wrong about his talent. If the curators are doing their job, they should absolutely be aware of—”</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo guzzles her beer. Dan Ah glares at her. She’s <em>trying</em>, dammit.</p><p class="p1">“I stopped in front of his piece. Of course it was breathtaking. Mesmerizing and disturbing. The exhibit designer knew what they were doing, it was in pride of place.” She swallows. Fidgets with her beer can. “He was there.” She drops her forehead to the table and wails, “Yeong Hwa was there, and he saw me staring at his piece, and he was wearing a blue coat that was <em>perfect</em>, and he didn’t look like a college kid anymore, and I was wearing the shoes he bought me when I broke up with him, and as soon as I saw him, he came over and—”</p><p class="p1">She might be hyperventilating. Mi Joo slides over a glass of water.</p><p class="p1">“He said my shoes looked good! And then he asked what I thought of his painting, and—and I said something stupid about how I’d make today my real birthday, which I thought sounded <em>totally romantic and cool </em>and now I just want to die, please and thank you.”</p><p class="p1">“What, you wanted him to give you his painting for your birthday?” Mi Joo says, faintly disgusted.</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah stares at her. Had Yeong Hwa thought that was what she meant? “No,” she says defensively. Fantastic, something else about the encounter to turn over endlessly in her mind.</p><p class="p1">“Oh.” Mi Joo picks up a drumstick thoughtfully. “Is that the worst thing you said?”</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah gapes at her.</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo makes a <em>go on </em>gesture with the chicken. “How did the conversation end?”</p><p class="p1">Awkwardly. “He said he was there to meet with an arts and culture reporter, and I said I was busy anyway.”</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo’s eyebrows go up into her poofy hair.</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah groans and goes back to face-planting on the table. “I thought he was going to ask me to have a drink at the gallery’s café.”</p><p class="p1">“And so you said no…before he asked. And then he ended up saying something else.”</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah thinks about glaring at her but decides to act pitiful instead. Sometimes that works. “Don’t make fun of me,” she whimpers.</p><p class="p1">“Oh, there there.” Mi Joo scoots closer and pats her on the head. Success. “Yeong Hwa has seen you behave much worse. It probably didn’t even register.”</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah does glare then, but only at the table.</p><p class="p1">“What happened then? How did you leave?”</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah sits up straight, eyes closed. “I pretended I hadn’t said anything weird and walked out.”</p><p class="p1">“You just…left?”</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah peeks at Mi Joo. Her friend (yes, Dan Ah is comfortable affording her the title now) is doing a poor job restraining her amusement. “He was busy, I was busy, it made sense at the time!”</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo sighs heavily and chugs her beer, rather impressively. She sets the empty can on the table with some force. “All right. Here’s what you’re going to do.”</p><p class="p1">“Yes.” Dan Ah adjusts her seat, prepared to take mental notes. “Okay, yes, what.”</p><p class="p1">“Yook Ji Woo’s premiere is this weekend. I can get you tickets.”</p><p class="p1">“You want me to invite him to a movie.” Dan Ah slow-blinks at her.</p><p class="p1">“You were hoping for something more complicated?”</p><p class="p1">“Why is everything about movies for you?”</p><p class="p1">“It’s not! Everyone likes movies! Shut up. <em>Anyway</em>—” Mi Joo glares at her “—a lot of people you and he both know will be there. Seon Gyeom and I will be there, and you know Mei is bringing Jeong Ji-hyun. It’s a perfect first date.”</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah slumps back against the couch. “That’s a little fast, isn’t it?”</p><p class="p1">“Is it?” Mi Joo asks archly. “Or are you getting wasted on my living room floor because you’re trying to figure out how to tell him you still don’t think you should be together?”</p><p class="p1">The only appropriate answer to that is to curl into a tight little ball, dangling a beer over one knee.</p><p class="p1">“Oh, come on.” Mi Joo shakes her by one shoulder. “It’s perfect. You can even say it’s not a date later, if you’d rather it not be. You’re meeting all of us at the theater, and all you have to do is sit next to each other. If that goes well, we’ll all go out for out a drink after. If <em>that </em>goes well—”</p><p class="p1">“Yes, I know what happens after a date goes well, thank you.”</p><p class="p1">“Oh? Do you? My mistake.”</p><p class="p1">Silence. Dan Ah lifts her head from her knees a fraction of an inch. “So I, what, have Jeong Ji-hyun drop off a ticket at his apartment?”</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo doesn’t move for a long moment. “You were lying.”</p><p class="p1">“What?”</p><p class="p1">“About what happens after a date goes well. You don’t know how to date at all, period.”</p><p class="p1">Perhaps, but vulnerability in one area is enough for one evening. “Maybe peasants do it differently.”</p><p class="p1">It’s a testament to how much they’ve grown into each other that Mi Joo doesn’t even react to the insult. “No one sends their assistant to their prospective date with the movie ticket.” Mi Joo holds up a hand. “No one who actually wants to have a date sends their assistant.”</p><p class="p1">“Surely you don’t think I’m going to drive to his apartment myself,” Dan Ah says, aghast.</p><p class="p1">“Well, evidently not.” Mi Joo cracks open a fresh can and takes a thoughtful swig. “And I suppose if you’re hoping to give into your panic the following morning and claim it wasn’t a date after all, you do need some kind of out.”</p><p class="p1">“I am not going to <em>panic</em>—”</p><p class="p1">“I’ve got it.” Mi Joo lifts her beer triumphantly. “Tomorrow night, text him. Tell him I gave you a pair of tickets and you thought he’d be interested in the show and you’ll meet him there. You’ll give him the extra ticket through Seon Gyeom. They’re still technically roommates, it’ll be super casual.”</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah shakes her head, her brain gearing up to its full capacity as CEO and event-planner-extraordinaire. “Doesn’t work. Why would I give Seon Gyeom the ticket? They’re coming from you, and he’s your boyfriend.”</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo scowls, but Dan Ah knows it’s because she’s right, which helps. “Fine. Text him and tell him the truth—you and I talked about the show, I offered you a pair of tickets, and you’re texting him to see if he wants the other. If he does, you’ll just have Seon Gyeom pass them along.” She claps her hands decisively. “Truthful. Casual. And just a little bit thoughtful, so he can read into it and get a nervous.”</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah’s ears get hot. She kind of wants to see Yeong Hwa nervous. He wasn’t really like that when they were whatever they were before; he’d been more eager and, well, youthfully exuberant. That blue coat from this morning was not youthful. It was…</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah finishes her beer in one long chug. “Right. Let’s do that.”</p><p class="p1">“You gonna text him now?”</p><p class="p1">“Now? While you’re looking?”</p><p class="p1">“You think you can send a text that doesn’t sound strange? You’ll give away the whole setup.”</p><p class="p1">“I can send a text message at least, god.”</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo folds her arms and sucks on her teeth.</p><p class="p1">“Oh? Oh, it’s like that?” Dan Ah holds her gaze and slaps a hand on her phone, fortunately missing the dish of fries next to it. “Watch.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">SDA: <em>Come to Yook Ji Woo’s premiere Saturday. Seon Gyeom will give you a ticket.</em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">She holds the phone out for Mi Joo to eat her own words. Mi Joo bursts into laughter.</p><p class="p1">“What?” Dan Ah reexamines her drafted text. “What, it’s to the point, it says what I mean. Nobody likes long-winded communication, Mi Joo, I’m very famous for my straightforward emails.”</p><p class="p1">“You’re not emailing your assistant!” Mi Joo barks. “Didn’t you guys text while you were dating?”</p><p class="p1">Not really, no. A lot of their communication had gone through…well. Her assistant, actually.</p><p class="p1">“Try again,” Mi Joo instructs loftily, reaching for another piece of fried chicken. “You want him to at least suspect that you want him there, and not just because you ran into him and he’s a friend on the top of your mind.”</p><p class="p1">“That’s a lot to ask of subtext.” But Dan Ah frowns at her phone. And tries.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">SDA: <em>Mi Joo is giving Seon Gyeom a movie ticket for you. Let’s all go Saturday.</em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">There is less confidence when Dan Ah hands over the phone this time.</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo cocks her head. “Less commanding, definitely, but could be friendlier? Flirtier, even, if we want to go there right away.”</p><p class="p1">Flirty. Dan Ah swallows. She knows what that means, in theory. She’s pretty sure she’s seen Mi Joo flirt with Seon Gyeom, but they are actually dating, and if Dan Ah has learned anything from watching the takeout delivery ritual, it’s that there are certain types of communication that don’t really come with a script so much as endless variables. She suspects flirting falls in this category.</p><p class="p1">She takes the phone back and tries.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">SDA: <em>I really liked your blue coat this morning. Wear it to the theater this Sunday. I’ll get you a ticket to the premiere.</em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">She inhales deeply and slides the phone across the table for approval.</p><p class="p1">Mi Joo reads in silence. Then bites the insides of her cheeks. “You know…” her voice comes out a bit strangled “…that could have some really interesting results. But maybe later on in your relationship?” She hands the phone back. “Just ask him to join you. Let him you know you’d like to see him if he’s free.”</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah accepts her phone hesitantly. “We’re assuming he wouldn’t want to come?”</p><p class="p1">“I’m sure he will,” Mi Joo soothes, “but it’d be nice to pretend he might have other plans they’d rather keep.”</p><p class="p1">Pretending. Dan Ah blows out a breath. She’s so bad at pretending. And it gets in the way of so much. But, when she stood in front of Yeong Hwa’s painting this morning, and he’d held her in his gaze so carefully, she’d understood one thing with certainty: if she wants anything more than awkward friendship to work between them, it’s going to take intentional, deliberate work.</p><p class="p1">She sets her jaw. And tries.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">SDA: <em>Mi Joo has promised me a pair of tickets to the premiere she translated. Would you be interested in meeting me at the theater this Saturday? I’ll make sure Seon Gyeom gets you a ticket.</em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">That’s good, isn’t it? An invitation, absolutely. Friendly and hopeful, definitely. Leaving room for rejection? Dan Ah’s heart plummets momentarily. There’s no way he wouldn’t come. In the art gallery, he’d looked at her and she could swear he’d missed her just as much.</p><p class="p1">Dan Ah doesn’t realize she’s all but hiding behind her knees until Mi Joo’s slow smile makes her uncurl from her tight ball. Mi Joo hands back the phone.</p><p class="p1">“Send it.”</p><p class="p1">“What, now?”</p><p class="p1">“I guess you could wait, but I usually don’t unless it’ll serve some purpose.”</p><p class="p1">There’s no point to waiting that Dan Ah can think of, other than she doesn’t want Mi Joo to witness her first post-breakup text to Yeong Hwa, which is not a good reason. She lays the phone carefully on the coffeetable and hits Send.</p><p class="p1">“Very good job, Ms. Seo,” Mi Joo coos, and reaches forward to pat Dan Ah’s head. “Such a good job, you did so good, yes you did.”</p><p class="p1">“Shut up.” But Dan Ah leans into the pets because she deserves them.</p><p class="p1">Both of them startle when Dan Ah’s phone vibrates on the table.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">LYH: <em>I’ll be there.</em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Dan Ah blinks. He really has grown up. The college kid would never have sent something so simple. Not even an emoji?</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1"> LYH: </span>
  <span class="s2">ฅ</span>
  <span class="s3">
    <em>^•</em>
  </span>
  <span class="s4">ﻌ</span>
  <span class="s3">
    <em>•^</em>
  </span>
  <span class="s2">ฅ</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">###</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have vague thoughts about continuing this, but *gestures at pandemic, gestures at limited mental bandwidth* idk. If you like it, lemme know! I hate that I'm like this, but it's always easier to write more with encouragement, h.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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